On Friday we decided to give one of the local 'new' Greek Restaurants a try.  Avra Taverna is located at 3001 E. Commercial Blvd. on the corner of Commercial and Bayview, this building has been turned into at least 4 different restaurants since I've lived here.  The new owners have taken the building into the Greek Isles. 

The actual restaurant itself was clean, nicely decorated in the typical Greek attire.  The place is quite large as well and can hold many people.  The menu is HUGE (maybe too big).  There is a full bar to relax in with a TV.  They have a sort of 'DJ' booth that controls the music...which was almost Greek Music remixed.  My guess...it's the dance Greek Radio Station.  It wasn't too loud though...and was different.

Upon entering ...we were greeted by a very friendly staff.   (Well...we were the first customers in the place for dinner...which worried me since they've been open since 11 AM).  They sat us quickly and brought us water and bread with a spread that reminded me of hummus.  (Which was actually quite good.)  I ordered the 1/2 Organic Grilled Chicken and Jeff ordered the Chicken Kabobs.

My attention at this time was turned to the kitchen.  From my seat I could actually see a part of it.  It looked quite small from my view which was surprising to me since their menu is HUGE.  I figured that maybe this was just the area where they put the final touches on the dishes.  Was I surprised when I saw the chef using the MICROWAVE!  I knew it was for our meal since we were the only customers that had ordered by this time.  Here is a hint to all those restaurants out there....if you use a microwave (many do)...put it in a place we (the customer) can't see it.  He used it 4 times and it was actually very distracting.  I kept thinking..."what could he be using this on".  I suddenly felt like I was on an episode of Gordon Ramsey's Kitchen Nightmares.

Our food came right as if was finished (I could see it put in the window) and the presentation was very nice.  So far...so good.  Now the tasting.

Chicken Kabob ($14.95)
Served on a bed of rice pilaf...it was white meat chicken that was marinated.  Onions, Tomato, Green Peppers and Red Peppers separated the meat.  You could tell they cooked it on a skewer...but they kindly removed it prior to serving (a nice touch).  There was also a lemony sauce over the dish.  The portion was HUGE and the chicken was very moist and had a good flavor.  While this dish wasn't one Jeff would brag about....it was good.

Gilled 1/2 Organic Chicken ($13.95)
The plate looked great.  The dish is served with veggies (broccoli, cauliflower, carrots) and 'Greek Fries' (baked sliced potatoes).  It's topped off with a lemon, oregano & olive oil sauce.  The chicken had a nice crispy skin which was the best part of the chicken.  One bite of the meat and I could tell that this chicken wasn't only 'organic'...it was nuclear.  I've had plenty of microwaved chicken in my time and this was one of them.  You could tell by the texture and the dryness that the chef started cooking this chicken in the microwave and finished it on the grill.  BAD MOVE.  The potatoes were luke warm.  The veggies?  The broccoli appeared bright green...but was mushy (another microwave trait).   The best part of my meal was the cauliflower and the sauce.  If it wasn't for the sauce...the chicken would have been a total loss.

So my final recommendation:
The service was great, however..the food quality just wasn't what I would have liked.  The microwave action was a total turn off and I will not be going back there.  When we left after 7...there was a total of 4 tables in the place....on a FRIDAY!  I guess that should tell you something right there.  (The Italian restaurant next door was full.)  There are so many bad and mediocre restaurants on the outskirts of the beach and this is one of them.  Too back actually.  I really like Greek food and would love to find a place close by.

Here are some pictures of the inside.  Sorry for the quality...but it was taken with a cell phone.  I didn't prepare too well.
 

Avra Taverna Greek Restaurant is located at:
3001 E. Commercial Blvd.
Ft. Lauderdale, FL

FTLToday's Restuarant Grade:  D
-food was not worth the price
-service was 'ok'